Band:	Marche Funèbre
Album:	After The Storm
Style:	Death doom metal
Release date:	September 27, 2024
A review by:	AndyMetalFreak

01. In A Haze
02. Palace Of Broken Dreams
03. Devoid Of Empathy
04. Enter Emptiness
05. Stranded
06. After The Storm

Marche Funèbre show us the beauty and tranquillity After The Storm.

Marche Funèbre are a Belgian death doom band inspired by the classic sound of the early 90s, with particular influences from bands such as My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost and Anathema. Since their formation back in 2008, they've put those influences to good use and have shaped up to become one of the most prolific death doom bands around right now. The band has gone onto release 5 full-length albums, which now includes this latest effort After The Storm, marking a return 4 years after previous offering Einderlicht. Death doom is one of those styles where you tend to know exactly what you're in for, as it hasn't altered greatly since the 90s. Despite this, it's been one of the most consistent sub-genres going, regularly offering stunning melancholic music and performances beyond passionate, while also becoming known for its impeccable production quality. This is something particularly evident in recent years, with death doom's current flag bearers unleashing some of its finest offerings yet. Will Marche Funèbre's After The Storm match these recent standards?

"In A Haze" begins the album in true melancholic death doom fashion, as heavy, crushing mid-tempo riffs sweep into action alongside powerful bass and slow thunderous drum beats. The vocals are delivered as a combination of passionate ethereal singing, deep agonizing gutturals, and occasional tortuous shrieks. Despite fluctuations in tempo, the song never exceeds beyond regular death doom pace, and a powerful, soul-crushing build-up leads to an exceptionally performed lead guitar break in the vein of Saturnus. All this revitalises the beautiful melancholic 90s sound, in which you'll also hear a touch of Paradise Lost and Lake Of Tears with a hint of dark gothic magic.

The lead guitars aren't usually considered a highlight when it comes death doom, but on "Devoid Of Empathy" they truly are, as they sweep in so majestically; the tear-jerking clean vocal performance also adds to the song's mournful soundscape, until the aggressive harsh growls soar into action to complement the clean singing. The two vocal styles intertwine through powerful emotive songwriting that can be equally uplifting as it is depressing, acting as a perfect representation of the classic 'beauty and the beast' death doom style, a style which delivers throughout the album.

If there is one song that may catch listeners off-guard, it's "Stranded", one of the most upbeat songs featured, and easier on the ears for those who generally find death doom to be too slow, repetitive or dreary for their taste. Between the heavy, chugging riffs and groundshaking bass, there's some of the most memorable riff hooks featured on the album, along with stylish drum beats, groovy bass lines, and an almost traditional-style solo, all giving a slight gothic touch that creeps back into the album once in a while. This is before the final track "After The Storm" makes a U-turn back into classic slow, building, repetitively structured death doom territory, with slogging, melancholic riffs, and sweeping leads, driven by a trudging rhythm section while the clean singing continues to wail out with such raw emotive passion.

Structurally there's nothing all that out of the ordinary here, but you can't fault the outstanding performance delivered by each participant, and the main factor which stands out on After The Storm isn't the songwriting, but the fresh, clean, crystal clear production. When all the elements come together, there's a real dark, majestic atmosphere in which your mind can wander to both an uplifting and depressive state; it's an emotional experience that any death doom fan simply can't ignore. If you're a fan of the classic 90s death doom style in particular, then you simply can't go wrong with After The Storm; it could prove to be one of the best and most memorable releases in the genre you'll hear from 2024, and with exceptional releases already this year from My Dying Bride, Counting Hours, and Officium Triste, that's really saying something.